Storage container

ABSTRACT

A storage container includes a container body, a lid, and a dividing member. The container body defines an accommodating space that has a top opening. The lid is removably disposed on the container body, and has two covering sections that cooperatively cover the opening. Each one of the covering sections is independently operable to uncover a part of the opening. The dividing member is removably disposed in the accommodating space for dividing the accommodating space into two compartments.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of Taiwanese Patent Application No.105128688, filed on Sep. 5, 2016.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a storage container, and more particularly toa food storage container.

BACKGROUND

Food storage containers can be used to receive food, such as fruit,vegetables, or cookies, etc., for storage at home or for carrying thefood around. A conventional food storage container typically includes acontainer body for receiving food therein and having a top opening, anda lid removably covering the top opening. In order to take out the foodstored in the container body, the lid has to be separated from thecontainer body with the top opening completely uncovered, which may beinconvenient to operate, especially when operating single-handedly.Moreover, freshness and texture of certain types of food are affected byair contact. The food stored in the conventional storage container isexposed to ambient air whenever the lid is separated from the containerbody. As such, all of the food received in the container body may getoxidized or damped at a relatively fast rate since the top opening hasto be completely uncovered for taking out the food from the containerbody. Therefore, there is room for improvement of the conventional foodstorage container.

SUMMARY

Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a storage containerthat can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.

According to the disclosure, the storage container includes a containerbody, a lid, and a dividing member.

The container body defines an accommodating space that has a topopening. The lid is removably disposed on the container body, and hastwo covering sections that cooperatively cover the opening. Each one ofthe covering sections is independently operable to uncover a part of theopening. The dividing member is removably disposed in the accommodatingspace for dividing the accommodating space into two compartments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent inthe following detailed description of the embodiments with reference tothe accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a first embodimentof a storage container according to the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a partly sectional side view of the first embodiment,illustrating a dividing member of the storage container at a firstposition;

FIG. 3 is another partly sectional side view of the first embodiment,illustrating the dividing member at the first position and a coveringsection of a lid being flipped open;

FIG. 4 is another partly sectional side view of the first embodiment,illustrating the dividing member at a second position;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but illustrating a sealing portionof a seal member of the first embodiment being separated from a bottomhole;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the first embodiment, illustrating transition oftwo vent-covering members of the lid from a non-covering position to acovering position;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a second embodimentof the storage container according to the disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a sectional side view of the second embodiment; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of a modification of the sealmember of the first embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the disclosure is described in greater detail, it should be notedthat where considered appropriate, reference numerals or terminalportions of reference numerals have been repeated among the figures toindicate corresponding or analogous elements, which may optionally havesimilar characteristics.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a first embodiment of a storage container isused for storing food such as fruit, vegetable, cookies, etc. Thestorage container includes a container body 1, a lid 2, a seal member 3,a dividing member 5, and a support plate 4.

The container body 1 may be made of a plastic material, such astransparent Acrylonitrile-Styrene resin (AS resin). The container body 1includes a base wall 11 that has two spaced-apart bottom holes 111extending through top and bottom surfaces of the base wall 11, asurrounding wall 12 that extends upwardly from the base wall 11, and twofirst engaging portions 13 that respectively protrude from oppositelateral sides of said surrounding wall 12. The base wall 11 and thesurrounding wall 12 cooperatively define an accommodating space 10 thathas a top opening 101. The container body 1 further includes an innerprotrusion 121 formed on an inner surface of the surrounding wall 12.

The lid 2 is removably disposed on the container body 1, and has twocovering sections 21, a flexible connecting strip 22, two secondengaging portions 23, and two ventilation control units 24.

The covering sections 21 cooperatively cover the opening 101 and may bemade of a plastic material. In this embodiment, the covering sections 21are made of AS resin. Each one of the covering sections 21 isindependently operable to uncover a part of the opening 101.

The connecting strip 22 may be made of a flexible material such asthermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The connecting strip 22 interconnectsthe covering sections 21 such that each of the covering sections 21 canbe flipped open relative to the connecting strip 22. More specifically,the connecting strip 22 extends in a front-rear direction, and has twolateral sides respectively connected to the covering sections 21. Inother embodiments, the connecting strip 22 may be substituted by astructure with a hinge function, e.g., a hinge, for interconnecting thecovering sections 21.

It should be noted that the lid 2 is a one-piece structure. That is, thelid 2 is integrally formed as one piece by having the above-mentionedcomponents of the lid 2 being directly connected to each other, suchthat the lid 2 can be separated from the container body 1 as a singlepiece.

The second engaging portions 23 are spaced apart from each other. Eachof the second engaging portions 23 is connected a side of a respectiveone of the covering sections 21, and is fittingly engageable with arespective one of the first engaging portions 13 of the container body 1so that the lid 2 is securely and removably disposed on the containerbody 1. Such quick-release design facilitates covering and uncovering ofthe opening 101.

Each of the ventilation control units 24 is disposed on a respective oneof the covering sections 21, and has a plurality of air vents 241extending through top and bottom surfaces of the respective one of thecovering sections 21, and a vent-covering member 242 rotatably disposedon the respective one of the covering sections 21 and operable forcovering and uncovering the air vents 241.

The seal member 3 removably and sealingly covers the bottom holes 111,and is made of silica gel. The seal member 3 has two spaced-apartsealing portions 31 and an elongated bridging portion 32. The sealingportions 31 removably, sealingly, and respectively cover the bottomholes 111. The elongated bridging portion 32 interconnects the sealingportions 31.

With further reference to FIG. 4, the dividing member 5 is removablydisposed in the accommodating space 10 for dividing the accommodatingspace 10 into two compartments 102. In this embodiment, the dividingmember 5 is configured as a plate, and may be made of aplastic materialsuch as polypropylene (PP). In greater detail, the dividing member 5 hastwo plate sections 51 that are connected to each other such that thedividing member 5 is foldable in a manner that the plate sections 51overlap each other. For example, the plate sections 51 may be hingedtogether. The dividing member 5 is displaceable between a first position(see FIG. 2), where the dividing member 5 is supported by the innerprotrusion 121 of the surrounding wall 12 and extends horizontally inthe accommodating space 10 such that the compartments 102 arerespectively formed on top and bottom sides of the dividing member 5,and a second position (see FIG. 4), where the dividing member 5 isfolded and is vertically disposed in the accommodating space 10 suchthat the compartments 102 are respectively formed on two lateral sidesof the dividing member 5. The dividing member 5 is formed with aplurality of perforations 52 that spatially communicate the compartments102. The dividing member 5 is further formed with an extending hole 53at an intersection of the plate sections 51 for access of a user'sfinger to remove the dividing member 5 out of the accommodating space 10when the dividing member 5 is at the first position.

The support plate 4 is substantially flat, is disposed above the basewall 11 of the container body 1 and extends horizontally in theaccommodating space 10, and may be made of a plastic material such aspolypropylene. The support plate 4 is formed with a plurality of throughholes 41 which extend through top and bottom surfaces of the supportplate 4, and a slit 42 through which the dividing member 5 verticallyextends when the dividing member 5 is at the second position.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, when in use, first the support plate 4 isplaced above the base wall 11 of the container body 1 for receiving foodthereon. When it is desired to divide the accommodating space 10 intotwo compartments 102 for storage of a different kind of food, thedividing member 5 can be placed in the accommodating space 10 with theinner protrusion 121 supporting the dividing member 5 to be at the firstposition for receiving the different kind of food thereon. Next, the lid2 is used to cover the opening 101 with the second engaging portions 23of the lid 2 securely and respectively engaging the first engagingportions 13 of the container body 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, when it is desired to take out the food from thecontainer body 1, anyone of the covering sections 21 of the lid 2 can beflipped open by disengaging the respective first and second engagingportions 13, 23 to uncover a part of the opening 101. That is, insteadof removing the entire lid 2 from the container body 1, food can beconveniently taken out from the accommodating space 10 by flipping openonly one of the covering sections 21. Moreover, the dividing member 5can be easily and conveniently taken out of the accommodating space 10by placing a finger through the extending hole 53 and then lifting theentire dividing member 5 upward.

It is worth mentioning that when the storage container is used to storewashed or sliced fruit and vegetables, water or juice of the fruit andvegetables may drip down onto the base wall 11 of the container body 1through the perforations 52 of the dividing member 5 and the throughholes 41 of the support plate 4. The support plate 4 prevents the foodreceived thereon from getting into contact with the water, therebyeffectively preventing deterioration and spoilage of the food. Referringto FIG. 5, one of the sealing portions 31 of the seal member 3 isseparated from the bottom holes 111 of the base wall 11 for drainage ofthe water out of the accommodation space. In actual use, both of thesealing portions 31 of the seal member 3 may be separated from thebottom holes 111 for drainage of the water.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 6, the ventilation control units 24 can beoperated to control spatial communication between the accommodatingspace 10 and the ambient environment. Each vent-covering member 242 canbe rotated in a rotational direction (as indicated by arrow (A) in FIG.6) relative to the respective one of the covering sections 21 to movefrom a non-covering position to a covering position. When eachvent-covering member 242 is at the non-covering position, thevent-covering member 242 uncovers the air vents 241 to spatiallycommunicate the accommodating space 10 with the ambient environment.When each vent-covering member 242 is at the covering position, thevent-covering member 242 covers the air vents 241 to block spatialcommunication between the accommodating space 10 and the ambientenvironment. In this way, each vent-covering member 242 can be moved tothe non-covering position for storing food that requires ventilation,and can be moved to the covering position for preventing food from freshair contact.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, when it is desired to divide theaccommodating space 10 into left and right compartments 102, thedividing member 5 can be folded and vertically inserted into the slit 42of the support plate 4 so as to position the dividing member 5 at thesecond position. As such, different kinds of food can be respectivelyplaced into the compartments 102, and each can be taken out from therespective compartment by selectively flipping open a corresponding oneof the covering sections 21.

In summary, by virtue of the configuration of the covering sections 21,the lid 2 does not have to be completely separated from the containerbody 1 for removing the food out of the compartments 102. Such designnot only provides convenience in use, but also permits the food to haveminimal fresh air contact, thereby contributing to maintaining freshnessof the food. The storage container of the disclosure can be used tostore food that requires refrigeration, or food that is typically storedat ambient temperature such as seasonings, garlic, ginger, pepper,onion, or potatoes, etc. In this embodiment, the container body 1 andthe lid 2 are substantially rectangular in shape with curved corners. Itis worth mentioning that the color of the lid 2 may be different fromthat of the container body 1. Such dual-color design and the curvatureof the container body 1 and the lid 2 provide aesthetic appeal to thestorage container, and the storage container can be put on a kitchenbenchtop for decoration purpose.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a second embodiment of the storage containeraccording to the disclosure is similar to the first embodiment. Thedifference between the first and second embodiments resides in thestructure of the dividing member 5. The support plate 4 and the sealmember 3 (see FIG. 1) are omitted in the second embodiment. The dividingmember 5 of the second embodiment includes two baskets 6 that areremovably disposed in the accommodating space 10 and that are adjacentto each other to respectively define the compartments 102. Each of thebaskets 6 has a bottom 61, a peripheral wall 62, and a plurality ofliquid passage holes 63. The peripheral wall 62 extends upwardly from aperiphery of the bottom 61 and cooperates with the bottom 61 to define arespective one of the compartments 102 which has a top openingcorresponding in position to a respective one of the covering sections21 of the lid 2. The liquid passage holes 63 extend through the bottom61 and the peripheral wall 62, such that water from the food stored inthe compartments 102 can drip down onto the base wall 11 through theliquid passage holes 63. The container body 1 of the second embodimentfurther includes a partition wall 14 that protrudes upward from a centerof the base wall 11 so that the baskets 6 are disposed at two lateralsides of the partition wall 14, respectively. Different kinds of foodcan be respectively placed into the baskets 6, and each of the baskets 6can be taken out from the container body 1 individually for removing thefood in the respective compartment all at once.

FIG. 9 illustrates a modification of the seal member 3 of the firstembodiment with only one of the sealing portions 31 being easilyseparable from the respective one of the bottom holes 111, whichprevents the seal member 3 from missing. Each of the sealing portions 31of the seal member 3 in FIG. 9 has a bottom segment 311, and a sealingsegment 312 extending from the bottom segment 311 into a respective oneof the bottom holes 111 for sealingly covering the respective one of thebottom holes 111. One of the sealing portions 31 further has a retainingsegment 313 connected to the sealing segment 312 and beingfrusto-conical in shape, such that the retaining segment 313 functionsas a hook for preventing the one of the sealing portions 31 from beingeasily separated out from the respective one of the bottom holes 111.The other one of the sealing portions 31 is formed with a recess 314recessed from a bottom surface of the bottom segment 311. Suchconfiguration enables a user to quickly identify the sealing portion 31with the recess 314 for drainage of the water out of the accommodatingspace 10, which can be done simply by touching and feeling theindentation of the recess 314.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details have been set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to oneskilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practicedwithout some of these specific details. It should also be appreciatedthat reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number andso forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristicmay be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be furtherappreciated that in the description, various features are sometimesgrouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereoffor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in theunderstanding of various inventive aspects.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what areconsidered the exemplary embodiments, it is understood that thisdisclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intendedto cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope ofthe broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modificationsand equivalent arrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A storage container comprising: a container bodydefining an accommodating space that has a top opening; a lid removablydisposed on said container body, and having two covering sections thatcooperatively cover said opening, each one of said covering sectionsbeing independently operable to uncover a part of said opening; and adividing member removably disposed in said accommodating space fordividing said accommodating space into two compartments.
 2. The storagecontainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lid further has a flexibleconnecting strip that interconnects said covering sections such thateach of said covering sections can be flipped open relative to saidconnecting strip.
 3. The storage container as claimed in claim 1,wherein said dividing member is configured as a plate and extendshorizontally in said accommodating space such that said compartments arerespectively formed on top and bottom sides of said dividing member. 4.The storage container as claimed in claim 3, wherein said dividingmember is formed with a plurality of perforations that spatiallycommunicate said compartments.
 5. The storage container as claimed inclaim 3, wherein said dividing member is formed with an extending holefor access of a user's finger to remove said dividing member out of saidaccommodating space.
 6. The storage container as claimed in claim 1,wherein said dividing member is configured as a plate, and has two platesections that are connected to each other such that said dividing memberis foldable in a manner that said plate sections overlap each other,said dividing member being displaceable between a first position, wheresaid dividing member extends horizontally in said accommodating spacesuch that said compartments are respectively formed on top and bottomsides of said dividing member, and a second position, where saiddividing member is folded and is vertically disposed in saidaccommodating space such that said compartments are respectively formedon two lateral sides of said dividing member.
 7. The storage containeras claimed in claim 6, wherein said dividing member is formed with aplurality of perforations that spatially communicate said compartmentswhen said dividing member is at the first position.
 8. The storagecontainer as claimed in claim 6, wherein said dividing member is formedwith an extending hole at an intersection of said plate sections foraccess of a user's finger to remove said dividing member out of saidaccommodating space when said dividing member is at the first position.9. The storage container as claimed in claim 6, further comprising asupport plate extending horizontally in said accommodating space, andbeing formed with a slit through which said dividing member verticallyextends when said dividing member is at the second position.
 10. Thestorage container as claimed in claim 9, wherein said container bodyincludes an inner protrusion formed on an inner surface of saidcontainer body for supporting said dividing member to be at the firstposition.
 11. The storage container as claimed in claim 6, wherein saidcontainer body includes an inner protrusion formed on an inner surfaceof said container body for supporting said dividing member to be at thefirst position.
 12. The storage container as claimed in claim 1,wherein: said container body includes a base wall that has a bottom holeextending through top and bottom surfaces of said base wall, and asurrounding wall that extends upwardly from said base wall and thatcooperates with said base wall to define said accommodating space; andsaid storage container further includes a seal member removably andsealingly covering said bottom hole.
 13. The storage container asclaimed in claim 12, further comprising a support plated is posed abovesaid base wall, extending horizontally in said accommodating space, andbeing formed with a plurality of through holes that extend through topand bottom surfaces of said support plate.
 14. The storage container asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said dividing member includes two basketsthat are removably disposed in said accommodating space and that areadjacent to each other to respectively define said compartments.
 15. Thestorage container as claimed in claim 14, wherein each of said basketshas a bottom, a peripheral wall that extends upwardly from a peripheryof said bottom and that cooperates with said bottom to define arespective one of said compartments, and a plurality of liquid passageholes that extend through said bottom and said peripheral wall.